instant ramen

[torakris]

The number of instant ramen products in Japan are absolutely mind boggling, they can take up an entire aisle in a supermarket. I might eat them a couple time a year but I am not a huge fan, apparently I am in the minority.....

How often do you consume them?

any favorites?

do you dress them up in any way?

There are a lot of neat products out there, take a look here:

http://www.greggman.com/japan/instant-rame...stant-ramen.htm

(in English with LOTS of pictures)

[torakris]

Just how much instant ramen do the Japanese eat?

Annual domestic consumption is 5.49 billion meals.

Japan has a population of 126 million ...

Annual instant ramen consumed per Japanese 42.2 meals

from:

http://www.instantramen.or.jp/english/base...data/01/01.html

spend some time looking around the whole site:

http://www.instantramen.or.jp/english/base...data/01/01.html

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Instant ramen was a weekend lunch staple growing up. Mom would throw eggs, frozen mixed veggies and leftover meat into it.

I like to pour beaten eggs into mine while it's cooking, and occasionally add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

[Yuki]

I usually just add an egg, and Chinese meat balls in the soup. Vegetables should not even touch the soup, although my sister likes to throw in frozen vegetables.

There is a kind of instant noodles where the noodles are cooked already and is soft. It tasted much better than the dried stuff, but I can not find it in my local market. I also like the Korean kimchi instant noodles since it is more chewy and hot.

Instant noodles are usually reserved for weekend breakfast(more like brunch) and a package is split between two people.

[Hiroyuki]

In Japan, instant ramen in a bag is usually distinguished from instant ramen in a cup.

The former is called

Instant men インスタント麺

Instant ramen インスタントラーメン

Sokuseki men 即席麺

Sokuseki ramen 即席ラーメン

The latter is called

Cup men カップ麺

Cup ramen カップラーメン

You can get some more info from here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_noodles

I used to eat instant noodles occasionally when I was young, now I am kind of weary of them. I have a stock of them as emergency food, though.

[snowangel]

My favorite brand is MAMA from Thailand. They actually include a packet of GREASE along with the dried broth and hot pepper packets. They are also $5.00 for a case of 30 packets at my local store.

[Pumpkin Lover]

I have a question: do Japanese folks drink the soup that's made with instant ramen? When I ate it growing up, I always drank the soup. But, when I visited Japan, my Japanese friends told me that some broths weren't eaten b/c of high salt content. What's the common thing to do?

[torakris]

Nissin also puts out a spaghetti version of the cup ramen:

http://www.nissinfoods.co.jp/product/popup..._id=&frm_type=P

[torakris]

I have a question: do Japanese folks drink the soup that's made with instant ramen? When I ate it growing up, I always drank the soup. But, when I visited Japan, my Japanese friends told me that some broths weren't eaten b/c of high salt content. What's the common thing to do?

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I think it is personal preference, for as many people I know who drink the broth there are almost as many who don't. I only drink the broth about 15% of the time....

[Hiroyuki]

I agree with torakris. I think I usually drink up the soup, sometimes the half, and sometimes only a part of it. That depends on what condition I'm in, whether there are other dishes on the table, and other factors.

One thing is for sure: There are no manners associated with this. You can drink it up, drink some of it, and drink none of it. It's all up to you.

There is another aspect to that question: the difference in taste between Eastern and Western Japan.

Donbei of Nisshin is the first product available in both Eastern and Western versions.

http://www.geocities.co.jp/NeverLand/7234/...zaibunkadon.htm

http://www.geocities.jp/tamasaburoh/kikaku/donbei/donbei.htm

(Both in Japanese only)

The soup of the Eastern version is darker while that of the Western is lighter. Probably you can drink up the soup of the Western, but you may have difficulty drinking up that of the Eastern.

Surprisingly, however, the sodium content of the Eastern soup is 1.5 g while that of the Western is 1.6 g! The color of the soup can sometimes be deceptive.

But how the udon soups at udon shops in Kanto and Kansai? I'll post some information to that thread (Kanto vs. Kansai) later.

[HungryChris]

I usually have a package or two on hand and will get the urge to prepare some just 3 or 4 times a year. I was recently surprised to learn that because the ones I buy are fried before packaging that they are pretty high in calories. Whenever I see someone with a case or more in their gorcery cart I have to wonder what they do with all that. I have known quite a few people who bought too much of the stuff for economic reasons only to get totally turned off by it within a few weeks.

I think I could eat in a good ramen shop every day, though and never get tired of it.

[kguetzow]

We have a constant supply in our house and we have tried many many brands.

My wife is korean and considers them too be a staple. We almost exclusively eat the Shin Rahmen brand from the Nong Shim company. A new brand that we have tried that I like is Satah Rahmen, spicy with a beefy sort of taste. Here's an ok factoid site.

http://www.instantramen.or.jp/english/base...data/01/01.html

[Pumpkin Lover]

http://www.instantramen.or.jp/english/base...data/01/01.html

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What is the "JAS Mark"?

[torakris]

http://www.instantramen.or.jp/english/base...data/01/01.html

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What is the "JAS Mark"?

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JAS stands for Japanese Agricultural Standards, which consist of quality assurance and labeling requirements. The JAS law was enacted in 1950. The standards cover food and beverage products, agricultural and marine products, and goods made from these products. Such items as pharmaceuticals and alcohol are not included. A company seeking a JAS mark applies for inspection, in which a government-approved private entity verifies whether certain standards have been met. Consumer interest in the mark has increased because of heightened concerns about food safety.

arrow Judicial Reform Council

from:

http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/FR/TNKS/TNKSHM...ary/law_04.html

[Hiroyuki]

And, don't forget the Organic JAS Mark!

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...7100&hl=organic

[torakris]

I was recently surprised to learn that because the ones I buy are fried before packaging that they are pretty high in calories.

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In Japan the non-fried ones seem to gaining in popularity, the 2 kinds I currently have in my house are both ノンフライ麺　(nonfurai men- non fried noodles)

the one on the left is a hot and sour soup base (this particular brand is flavorless )and the one on the right in tonkotsu

the packages indicates the finished bowls contain 360 and 349 calories, I a not sure how many calories are in the fried noodle ones. Of course this only counts if you drink all the soup!

[maggiethecat]

"Instant" Ramen Noodles often go on sale for ten cents apiece, and I have twenty packs in the back of the pantry from the waning years of the Clinton administration. They'll probably be just fine for ten years.

I never use the broth pack--I toss it. For a quick lunch I'll heat up a tiny sautee pan with some oil, toss in the radiator-shaped noodle mass, and throw in a little water. As it simmers away, I'll look for leftover broccoli in the fridge and beat an egg. When it softens enough to stir, in go the egss, veggies and a splach of soy sauce. Two minutes, 12 cents.

But my secret shame: Nibbling the noodles raw, like potato chips.

[torakris]

But my secret shame: Nibbling the noodles raw, like potato chips.

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For nibbling raw, Korean noodles win hands down!

[merrybaker]

A few years back there was a salad recipe that was making the rounds. It was shredded cabbage, etc. with a rice vinegar dressing. Then a package of ramen noodles (no sauce) was broken up and sauteed until golden. That was added to the salad along with toasted sesame seeds and roasted, sliced almonds. Oh, I think there was shredded chicken in there, too. Anyhow, we ate it so much that we never wanted to see it again!

I still keep some packages on hand for a quick bowl of soup, using Hon-Dashi for the broth instead of the packet, and adding tofu and spinach and kamaboko.

Campbell's (I think it was) used to sell a baked, rather than fried, ramen. They took it off the market. There's a message there somewhere.

[melonpan]

ramen cole slaw

2 ounces (60 g) sesame seeds

1 package slivered almonds

1 head cabbage

8 scallions

2 packages uncooked ramen noodles

toast sesame seeds and almonds in a fry pan with some oil until slightly browned. take off heat to cool. meanwhile chop the cabbage and scallions and break up the noodles into small pieces. mix sesame seeds, almonds, cabbage, scallions and ramen together in a large bowl.

for dressing, in another small bowl, mix the following together:

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup (190 ml) salad oil

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

add the dressing to the cabbage mixture and stir well.

[merrybaker]

ramen cole slaw...

Oh my gosh, melonpan, that's the recipe! But I used to toast the ramen bits with the sesame and almonds. (And I always burned some and had to pick out the little black pieces.) It's been so long, I think it's time to try it again! Thanks.

[Hiroyuki]

I can say "instant ramen in salad!?" as emphatically as you would say "corn on pizza!?". I can put some soumen (thin wheat noodles) to salad, and wouldn't mind having regular ramen in my salad if I were forced to, but instant ramen??

Any Japanese would go .

[Yuki]

A few years back there was a salad recipe that was making the rounds.  It was shredded cabbage, etc. with a rice vinegar dressing.  Then a package of ramen noodles (no sauce) was broken up and sauteed until golden.  That was added to the salad along with toasted sesame seeds and roasted, sliced almonds.  Oh, I think there was shredded chicken in there, too.  Anyhow, we ate it so much that we never wanted to see it again! 

I still keep some packages on hand for a quick bowl of soup, using Hon-Dashi for the broth instead of the packet, and adding tofu and spinach and kamaboko. 

Campbell's (I think it was) used to sell a baked, rather than fried, ramen.  They took it off the market.  There's a message there somewhere. 

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I remember one of my classmates brought a similar salad to our Japanese class celebration. It was crunchy, soggy, and wet at the same time. I think crumbled instant noodle is common to add in a dish for a little "Asian" touch. The 10 cents package of instant noodles can not compare to the more expensive kind. The biggest difference is the texture of the noodles, the more expensive one tends to remain more chewy and elastic.

[merrybaker]

The 10 cents package of instant noodles can not compare to the more expensive kind.

Oh no, I may have to pay 20 cents!

[torakris]

The 10 cents package of instant noodles can not compare to the more expensive kind.

Oh no, I may have to pay 20 cents!

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I still remember being shocked at how cheap these were in the US, in Japan the absolute cheapest I can buy ramen in 200 yen ($2) for a 5 pack and that is only on a very rare sale. They cost more in the 100 yen ($1) a package range with the ones in the cups running in the 200 yen ($2) range per cup...